Bennington man given suspended sentence for prohibited acts

BENNINGTON &GT;&GT; A man who police say posted photos of himself performing sex acts over photos of a woman and her young child was given a suspended sentence and probation.

Christopher M. Sobolowski, 45, of Bennington, pleaded guilty Jan. 22 in Vermont Superior Court to three misdemeanor counts of prohibited acts. The state dropped felony charges of aggravated stalking, and lewd and lascivious conduct, as well as a misdemeanor stalking charge. This was part of a plea agreement where Sobolowski was given a one to three year sentence, all suspended, and placed on probation for two years.

As part of his probation he is required to complete a sex offender treatment program, is not allowed contacted with the victim or her family, and is prohibited from frequenting areas where children congregate without prior permission from his probation officer. While he is allowed to own a computer and devices that record images, he has to allow his probation officer access to said devices. He is also not allowed to work at or volunteer at businesses or organizations serving anyone under 16.

Sobolowski was arraigned in July after Bennington Police spoke to a woman who had received a number of messages via Facebook regarding photos of her and her child posted online. The photos were of a male performing a sex act over photographs of the woman and said child.

The messages were sent to her anonymously. They identified Sobolowski as the male. A subsequent police investigation also identified Sobolowski as the male in the photos.

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